7-Methylxanthine

7-Methylxanthine
Clinical data
Other names	7-MX; 7-Methylxanthin; Heteroxanthin; Heteroxanthine; NSC-7861
Identifiers
	IUPAC name 7-methyl-3H-purine-2,6-dione;
CAS Number	552-62-5;
PubChem CID	68374;
ChemSpider	61660;
UNII	E9M81NJM6G;
KEGG	C16353;
ChEBI	CHEBI:48991;
ChEMBL	ChEMBL321248;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID60203696 ;
ECHA InfoCard	100.008.200
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C6H6N4O2
Molar mass	166.140 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image;
	SMILES CN1C=NC2=C1C(=O)NC(=O)N2;
	InChI InChI=1S/C6H6N4O2/c1-10-2-7-4-3(10)5(11)9-6(12)8-4/h2H,1H3,(H2,8,9,11,12); Key:PFWLFWPASULGAN-UHFFFAOYSA-N;

7-Methylxanthine (7-MX), also known as heteroxanthine, is an active metabolite of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine).^[1]^[2] It is a non-selective antagonist of the adenosine receptors.^[1]^[2] The compound may slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness).^[1]^[2] It is under investigation for this purpose in children with myopia.^[1]^[2]

It is shown that systemic treatment with 7-mx appears to be efficient in retarding axial elongation and myopia progression among myopic children. The treatment is safe and without side effects, and may be continued until 18–20 years of age, when age-related cross-linking of collagen prevents further elongation of the eye.^[3] Additionally, further studies show that oral intake of 7-MX was associated with reduced myopia progression and reduced axial elongation in this sample of myopic children from Denmark. Randomised controlled trials are needed to determine whether the association is causal.^[4]

References

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